Under Construction

The stripes weren't doing it for me, and the previous viney stuff wasn't doing it for me either. The current stuff is okay, if not coordinated super well. It will have to do for now because it is bed time.

At some point, when I feel like it, I will return to blogging, and I will do up some graphics for a blog overhaul. I'm thinking something super nerdy and whimsical. You will just have to wait and see.

Also, Warehouse 13 consumes my life. I don't imagine blogging will return until I have completed my Warehouse 13 watching adventure, which I wish would go on forever. Alas, I only have 8 more episodes. Tis tragic.

Blog Intentions

Yes, I know my blogs of late have been of a personal nature. A month of living out of a suitcase has killed all creativity. Coffee shops aren't all that helpful--I tried very hard to work on a short story last week, but my brain would have no part in it.

Due to limited access to Netflix, I just cannot crochet. When I get all moved into the new apartment in a couple weeks, I will begin the crochet madness again with the aid of beloved mindless original Star Trek.

Also to come is a lot more cooking and baking, sponsored by having my own kitchen and groceries. I will be better about providing recipes. Expendable income should result in returning to a lifestyle of organic cooking, although there will still be potstickers from a bag. They are a definite vice of mine, even if the smell slightly resembles stinky feet.

I might have to share some progress on the fitness front as well. My job comes with a workout facility, so I will be working out more. I will, of course, continue to use cheesy 90s Denise Austin workout videos that I purchased from the dollar store five-and-a-half years ago. They work. I'm also considering joining a yoga studio so that I can add a social element to getting fit. I am honestly too cheap to join a gym, especially since I would actually have to get in my car and drive to one. That defeats the purpose of living downtown.

I'd like to reserve my car for grocery trips only, although I'm holding out hope for some sort of downtown local grocer, in which case my car will almost never get used. It's a great car, but I've put over 5,000 miles on it in the last month-and-a-half. It's time for it to get some down time.

Also to come to my blog are photos not taken with my cell phone. I have two cameras that have been given to me. If I can acquire cords and successfully get them hooked up to my computer, I should be good to go. (All free cameras come without cords.)

Reasoning with Vampires

The blog Reasoning with Vampires has had a lot of time on my facebook newsfeed lately. My friends Mariya and Megan are both hooked. As far as my friends go, these two have values at pretty opposite extremes from one another. What they have in common is an interest in scifi and fantasy--this is, of course, part of why they are my friends.

Reasoning with Vampires is a blog devised by a Twilight despiser. Having had a conversation with my boss about why I am against Twilight, I thought I would check it out to see what I could share with her about how Twilight teaches girls that there is nothing more important than having a boyfriend.

This post below is not one I would share with my boss, but it is one that connected with my interests.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that Stephanie Meyer can identify an independent clause and knows that a semi-colon can go between two of them. Most people don't know that. I do take issue with her over-use of this punctuation mark in connecting unrelated sentences.

I once heard the director of the Writing Center at Kansas State tell a student that a semi-colon is a last resort punctuation mark. If you're inclined to use it, find the relationship between the sentences involved and try to use a conjunction to show that relationship--a subordinating or coordinating conjunction will do the trick.

I'm not quite that strict with my semi-colon policies because I like the semi-colon; I don't want to see it fall out of use. Sometimes the rhythm requires the semi-colon rather than some sort of conjunction. But I only use semi-colons in places where I would be tempted to use a run-on, meaning only in places where the two independent clauses form a single effect to me. That's the only time a semi-colon should be used to fuse two independent clauses together into a single sentence.

Semi-colons create sentence marriage, which should only be entered upon in cases of serious mutual idea committment.

Shame on you, Stephanie Meyer, for encouraging unhealthy relationships between girls and vampires and between clauses. It's just not right.

Secret Quotes--From Cheryl Klein

I infrequently follow the blog of children's book editor Cheryl Klein. This morning I stopped by for a peak at recent posts and found myself reading quotes about secrets that Cheryl had collected.

Here are a few of my favorites:

"Perhaps the secret of living well is not in having all the answers but in pursuing unanswerable questions in good company." — Rachel Naomi Remen

"I not only have my secrets, I am my secrets. And you are yours. Our secrets are human secrets, and our trusting each other enough to share them with each other has much to do with the secret of what it means to be human." — Frederick Buehner

"Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose. It is a seeking that he who wishes may know the cosmic secrets of the world and they that dwell therein." — Zora Neale Hurston

If you'd like to read more, check out Brooklyn Arden, the blog of Cheryl Klein.

Being a Blog Failure/General Updates

So, I'm somewhat of a blog failure. I always write too much, but I know as a reader I would appreciate concise and efficient posts from a blogger. I need to channel my inner tech writer when I blog.

So here's what I've been up to:

I'm working out again. I've been running Tuesdays and Thursdays with Adriane. We've decided to run a 2 mile race in a couple weeks. After several weeks with the crud, I'm not sure my lungs are up for it, but I'll try. Lindsey and I have done a few living room workouts with the help of Netflix, too. Take that grad school! You cannot keep me soft and squishy.

My master's project is still behind. I need to get over my fear of my major professor. She's awesome, and it makes me strive for an impossible perfection before I give her drafts. She's supposed to help me polish my drafts. I don't need to do it on my own, but I keep trying.

My cat, Tonks, is getting fat because in the chaos of my final semester, I've put her on an automatic feeder in case I stay in the office too late to give her dinner. Poor cat.

I'm working with a non-profit for my Technical Communication class. I'm doing two feasability studies for them, evaluating new publishing software and a website upgrade. I'm excited. This is going to be fun. My client is wonderful.

Indian Children's literature is an interesting class, but I still feel like I don't know enough to even begin research for a paper.

I'm still wordy. Whoops. If you've read this far, you deserve a cookie. Hopefully you have some in a jar on your counter.